MDR teaches us some hamsadhwani

Finally, I move on - leaving behind the bhairavi theme that so captivated me for several weeks. In the last of the bhairavi posts - tanayunibrOva - I suggested that MDR would sometimes wear, what I like to call as, a "teacher's cap" when singing. As it turned out, MDR was in a teaching mood during the whole of that concert. I wonder what prompted MDR to get into such a frame of mind? In fact, this was a concert without any live audience! MDR's most popular studio recording (an LP with T. N. Krishnan and Vellore Ramabhadran accompanying him, and containing mahAgaNapatim, sAmajavaragamanA, hariyum haraNum, giripai nelakonna and a kApi tillAnA) also showcases MDR in a teaching mood. Probably it was just the time-boundedness of studio recordings which forced him into that mood - resulting in crisp and measured renditions, without experimentation or sophistication; although, there are many examples of MDR-the-teacher in live concerts also.

In any case, today's post is a tyAgarAjA kriti, srIraghukula in hamsadhwani, from that tanayunibrOva concert (V. Thagarajan and Vellore Ramabhadran were the accompanists). MDR probably loved hamsadhwani and there are some truly brilliant hamsadhwanis in his catalogue. Here, of course, MDR just keeps it clean and simple, yet simultaneously beautiful and melodious. You definitely don't need a diploma in karnATic music either to enjoy this piece or learn some hamsadhwani. Here is one for the masses.

A great bhairavi canvas - part IV

I am back after a long gap (and yes, there were some really strong excuses for the gap). Nevertheless, continuing from where I left the last time around, today's post is (what I imagine will be) the final installment of the bhairavi-canvas theme. tanayuni brOva is another lovely bhairavi kriti by tyAgarAjA, and this time, MDR wears a teacher's cap - something, I believe, he used to do quite often. MDR eschews sophisticated phrases and sangatis, and keeps it very simple, yet eminently enjoyable. For example, in the AlApana, he shows how even a plain phrase like sa pa sa pa ri, can be made to sound unmistakably full of bhairavi. As for the kriti itself, MDR is in his usual unhurried mood, keen on rendering with a clarity that is easy to learn from. Almost anyone (with even just half-a-decent pair of vocal chords) would hum some reasonable bhairavi after listening to this! There are dozens of examples of such teaching-style renditions, as I call them, in MDR's catalogue. After all, it is not for nothing that he is referred to as a musician's musician.

A great bhairavi canvas - part III

As we continue to explore MDR's bhairavi portfolio, we come upon MDR's rendition of upacAramu, a lovely little kriti by tyAgarAjA. In contrast to the amba kAmAkshi posted earlier, upacAramu, here, is really short - barely touching the four minute mark. MDR has this rare ability to treat the same rAgam (or even the same song) at different levels of granularity in different renditions. Today's post is a case in point. My personal all-time-favourite rendition of a bhairavi has always been (and will always remain) MDR's grand amba kAmAkshi, but upacAramu is an important element in MDR's diverse bhairavi canvas. His succinct treatment of bhairavi here, however, may be more "accessible" and much easier to "get" to the many who are uninitiated to MDR's brilliance-in-detail.